The Art of Rain
by south.stars
Summary: -When the rain falls, and the flowers are hard to find... look a little harder- Percy Jackson is the towns muck-up (it's bad luck, he swears). Annabeth Chase is the golden child, but she holds secrets and a past that haunts her every day. AU
1. prologue

**disclaimer: anything you recognise is not mine**

* * *

 _ **for anyone who ever wondered why.**_

* * *

Blue balloons floated to the sky.

The swing set creaked under Percy's weight, his face screwed up in concentration as he traced circles in the dirt with his shoe.

The park was as empty as a plate of cake after his dog, Mrs O'Leary, had set her sights on it. The little boy squinted around, adjusting the toppling party hat on his head.

The party had started three hours ago.

The only movement in the park since then had been his mother busily setting out plates and starting up barbeques, smiling in that beautiful way of hers, reassuring him that _people would turn up. It was his sixth birthday, his friends and classmates would be here._

He hadn't wanted to break the sorry news that classmates and friends didn't exactly belong in the same sentence in his vocabulary. _Vo-cab-u-la-ry. Annabeth would be proud of that one…_

He cast his eyes over to his mother, who was now sitting on one of the benches, looking around the empty park- probably only just realising its apparent, well, _emptiness_. She swivelled her gaze to find his own, and a brilliant smile immediately took over her face. Like nothing was wrong. Like the park was full and brimming with laughing kids and cake and the best birthday party of all time.

Percy smiled back.

His mother was the most beautiful person on the planet. The greatest human as well, proved by her easy grace as she stood up and ran to the swing set, kneeling in front of him. Her soft hands came up and caressed his cheek, wiping away a stray smear of blue icing.

"Happy birthday, Percy." Her eyes were twinkling, as though she held all the secrets to the universe. As far as Percy was concerned, she did.

His lips tipped up in a crooked smile as he flung his arms around his mother's small frame.

"Best birthday ever," he attempted- and failed- to wink at her.

His mum laughed to the heavens, and Percy knew the stars danced just for her. She stood up and pushed his swing back and forth, sending him soaring through the air, erasing the twinge of hurt that came from knowing that his friends weren't really his friends. Not that he had expected them to be. He could hardly blame his classmates for keeping their distance.

Especially Annabeth Chase. Though he had thought- well… _hoped_ , more like- that she might make an appearance today. Just to show that he wasn't _completely_ invisible next to her princess curls and calculating eyes. Her eyes that owned the storms; and Percy knew more than anyone to stay clear of their path. Even if he _maybe-sorta-kinda-okay-a-lot_ wanted her to look at him. Just once.

He huffed. Scrawny, awkward and dumb compared to the Annabeth Chases of the world, it was no wonder he didn't find himself swarming in attention.

But Percy didn't mind. Not really.

Because he had his mother.

And she was the best person on the planet.


	2. chapter one

**disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this book.**

 **hello beautiful humans! Hope you enjoy :)**

 ** _…12 years later…_**

oOo

Percy sighed heavily, eyeing the paperwork that just got dumped unceremoniously on his scrap of a desk.

"By tomorrow," his boss ordered, eyes narrowed.

 _Great. Just great._

It was the second day of spring holidays and his boss had already jumped the opportunity to underpay in teenage labour.

"I'm not in tomorrow," Percy called after his boss' retreating back.

"That's not my problem."

Percy glared daggers through the man's pristine navy suit until he turned the corner out of sight. He didn't have time for this, but _dammit_ , he needed the money.

Badly.

And apparently, Mr. Bacchus' insurance company was the only workplace on the peninsula willing to even look at a résumé with Percy's _very well-known_ history. It wasn't his fault they lived in a small town. And that he drew bad luck.

Okay… maybe it was a little bit his fault. But he never meant any harm by it, it just so happened that misunderstood situations tended to be… well… _misunderstood._

But everything aside, money was money. And the best woman in the whole freaking universe depended on it, and as Percy couldn't get a proper full-time job until he graduated at the end of the year - and he _would_ graduate (a reluctant promise made to said best woman in a moment of regretful weakness) - he was stuck in a dead end office who payed teenagers to do their dirty work.

Looked more innocent in front of the jury, he supposed, scoffing.

He ran his hands tiredly over his face, scrubbing away last night's sleeplessness.

His mother was getting worse.

He was getting worse.

 _Focus, Percy._

He looked up out the grimy window just in time to see a head of blonde curls walk by, slowing at the door.

 _Gods above, shoot me down now._

The bell dinged as the door was swung open, revealing a tall girl with storms in her eyes. Well… _girl_ was the wrong word. But he was hardly going to acknowledge her as a lady.

 _Lady Annabeth Chase my foot,_ he snorted.

He watched as her eyes darted around the small complex, pausing when saw him crowded into the far corner, away from any snoopy illegal-underpayment-of-teenage-labour officials. Mr Bacchus' words, not his.

Wouldn't want the company to go down kicking and screaming, now would they?

He rocked back in his chair absently; the company was so cheap they couldn't even afford those cool swirly ones, a point on which Percy had rather loudly vocalised his disgust. Of course, the company saw it as ' _uncooperative behaviour'_ rather than ' _valid, valuable feedback'_.

Annabeth moved past the front desk, making her way towards him, a determined gleam entering her gaze with the proud tilt of her chin.

Percy rolled his eyes when she got close enough to see. Entirely for her benefit, of course. Inside, he was freaking the heck out.

"Wha'd'ya want, _Princess_?" he yawned, leaning back in an effort to look casual.

She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "For you to talk in complete sentences, for one thing."

Percy hid a smirk behind his hand, pretending to itch his nose. Riling her up was way too easy.

"I'm sorry that your greatness hasn't rubbed off on me, your highness," Percy said, knowing he was pushing it, but having way too much fun to stop anyway.

Annabeth's eyes flew skyward, her hands clenching into fists as she leant a little closer. "Look, twat," she snapped. "I didn't come in here to be patronised."

Percy pointed to the door. "You're always free to leave, sweetheart."

She ignored him, charging on as though he hadn't spoken. "I need…"

"A life?"

"…some help." It came out as a mutter, a blush so light Percy thought at first he was imagining things spreading across her cheeks.

Percy's eyes widened, sure that his ears had deceived him. "You need… help?" he clarified.

She stepped slightly away from him. "Oh, don't look so self-important," she scoffed.

Percy laughed, staring at the cracking grey ceiling. They really needed to fix that. "I learned from the best."

She ignored the obvious jab, twisting her hands together whilst flitting away from his gaze. Percy took her in curiously. For as long as he'd known her, Annabeth Chase did not _fidget._ Ever.

He stood from his non-swirly ( _damn you, Bacchus_ ) chair and rounded the desk, leaning on it in front of her whilst folding his arms over his chest. He dropped his voice lower, aware of the glancing eyes of his fellow stuck-in-a-dead-end-job-for-the-holidays co-workers. "What's up, sweetheart?"

She glared at the endearment, one that he'd been mockingly calling her since the eighth grade.

Or at least, he was perfectly fine in letting her believe that it was mocking. Save his reputation and all.

Annabeth's eyes dropped to her feet. She chewed her lip nervously. Her hands tied themselves into ropes. She was fidgeting, twitching her nose, breathing shallowly and… was that… _doubt_ on her face?

The world had officially ended, and Percy hadn't even visited all the blue ice-cream parlours on his list yet. _Dammit._

"Is there somewhere else we can talk?" Her voice floated to his ears as her eyes flitted nervously over the small work space. So small, so vulnerable, so… completely… not Annabeth. It made his chest hurt; but of course, he ignored that.

"Yeah, there's…" he trailed off, nodding his head out the door. She huffed at his inability to finish a sentence properly but looked grateful all the same. Her breaths were coming out a little calmer than before. "I finish in five."

She nodded, meeting his gaze with her storms before turning and sliding out the door, the bell twinkling in her wake.

Percy slumped on the desk, resisting the urge to brain himself against the already cracked plasterboard.

 _Pathetic._

Xxx

Six minutes later and Percy was rushing through the glass door, balancing an armful of loose leaf papers.

He spotted her almost right away. Her back was to him, leaning against a lamppost, ankles crossed, arms folded. The _nobody-can-touch-me_ girl. Percy would've bet that if he could see her eyes, they would be scanning the streets, searching for a pattern or clue to the craziness of rush hour and probably the answer to the universe itself.

She disputed that it was 42, as Percy had tried to point out one fateful day; (fateful because he went home with a black eye and a stupid grin on his face. _Gods_ , he was so messed up).

He walked up behind her, trying to look as dignified as one could possibly look whilst frantically keeping hold of an odd two thousand and seventy-three bits of loose paper. Bacchus didn't even offer him a folder.

 _Bastard._

He cleared his throat lightly, startling her into spinning straight into him.

"Whoa…" he steadied her against the post as his papers tottered dangerously in his arms. Annabeth's eyes widened, her hands darting to take half of his load, accidentally getting caught in the tie he was required to wear for work. He waited with flushed cheeks as she disentangled herself from him, patting his tie back against his chest in a nervous gesture.

"Gods, I'm so sorry." She looked on the verge of a breakdown.

Annabeth apologising? Something was definitely _not_ okay.

"All good," he coughed. "Thanks for…" he nodded at the papers in her hands.

"No problem," she answered distractedly, looking anywhere but at him.

"So…" he trailed off awkwardly. _Gods, I'm a moron._ "Wanted somewhere to talk?"

"Uh… yes. Please." She stuttered, looking over her shoulder.

"I, uh… know a place," he offered. "Um. Follow… follow me." _Who are you, Dory?_ He shook his head at himself.

Taking off at a brisk walk, he made her rush to fall into step with him. She was quiet, taking in the surroundings like some kind of federal detective. He wondered idly if her brain ever got tired. Or ever slept. Or ever stopped. His first guess would be, _no, it did not._

He glanced down at her blonde curls, taking in the slight curve of her chin, the pink on her nose from the cold, the darting eyes, the small spattering of freckles that you couldn't tell were there unless you got really close…

She looked up; catching him staring. He whipped his head to face forward, ignoring the flush creeping up his neck. _Get a grip, Percy._

"You got something you need to ask?" she questioned.

Percy looked at her with wide eyes. "What? No! no… uhh… I mean. Um." _Zeus, smite me please._

Annabeth hid a small smile, but it didn't cover the torrential rain that swirled in her eyes.

"I was wondering if… your- uh… brain ever…" he gestured with his hands, "stopped," he finished lamely.

She looked at him for a long while, confused. He realised, uncomfortably tugging at his shirt collar, that she now probably thought he was even dumber than she had already figured. He rolled his eyes skyward. _Neurons, don't you bloody crash on me now._

Truth be told, he didn't have much faith in them at the present moment.

They lapsed into an awkward silence, the kind that could only be achieved between two completely different people, from two completely different worlds, realising that they are way out of their league and that pretty people with names rhyming with Alabama-seth shouldn't ever lower themselves to actually _looking_ at people with names which will be left unsaid…

Alright, so maybe it was only Percy contributing to the awkwardness of the silence.

He resisted the urge to walk straight into a pole, instead veering around a corner and into an abandoned playground.

The park was supposed to be torn down for some apartment complexes, but so far, it remained a shell of a child's paradise- courtesy of the lazy construction workers.

Percy didn't mind, though. He came here to think.

He climbed up into an old rotting wooden tower, carefully placing the haphazard sheets of paper in a sort-of pile against one of the walls. Annabeth cautiously followed him up, staring around the space curiously.

"Gods, I haven't been up here since I was a kid," she whispered into the still air, placing her paper in a much neater pile next to Percy's.

Percy didn't answer. He wasn't yet ready to admit that he had frequented the park only yesterday- hence the new hole in the rotting wall. He flexed his fists at the memory, wincing at the pull of cracked skin.

Annabeth's eyes turned on him, watching as he slid slowly down the wall, sitting with his arms linked loosely around his knees. He held his breath like the _idiot kid_ he was when she followed his lead, sitting against the opposite wall with her legs stretched out, her shoes almost bumping against his.

Percy struggled to think. The last time he'd been willingly this close to Annabeth Chase was… well; never. And he last time she had been willingly close to him… well, that might as well have been in an alternate universe with light sabres and dragons.

The silence echoed around him, making him shift uncomfortably against the wall. He waited, catching her eyes briefly. He didn't push her. It was clear something wasn't right with her at the moment. It was given away in the paleness of her face, the disarray of her usually perfect hair, the tiredness in those determined eyes.

"It's quiet here," she finally breathed out. "I needed this. Thanks."

Percy looked over at her slumped form curiously. Her back was bowed, head leaning forward as though it were too heavy for her neck to hold up straight. He smiled slightly at her in response, though he felt his brow furrow, opting out of words to let the silence envelop them like a comforting hug. That and his words had an irritating tendency to trip over one another in her presence.

He tilted his head back, staring at the rotting rafters holding up the tin roof. Graffiti in the form of sharpie and texta was scrawled across every available surface. The cries and taunts of kids, venting their excitement, infatuation and need for importance across the slats. His eyes snagged onto a particular sentence. It was written in blue pen, too small to make out properly from the floor, but he knew what it said:

 _Percy Jackson waz 'ere, 2005. Minus friends. Plus mum._

He remembered that day like it was yesterday. The biggest epic fail of a six year olds birthday party that there ever was. He also remembered his mother splatting a blue cake in his face and twirling him around the living room. Pushing him so high on the swing and chasing him so fast down the slide that he completely forgot that he was supposed to be celebrating with his friends- _classmates._

He also remembered the next day. A small blonde Annabeth slipping a card into his tub at school, her glare pointed at him when he caught her eye- a fact he didn't notice at the time as he was too busy ogling that _Annabeth freaking Chase_ was standing at his desk, slipping a note into his tub.

He'd never opened the envelope. He'd thought briefly about it, then proceeded to shove it in his pocket to be stashed in his box of useless stuff that he couldn't quite bring himself to throw away when he got home.

He didn't want to read it. It was far better to imagine what it said. That she was sorry she didn't come yesterday. That a big dinosaur had swooped from the sky and kidnapped her and she had to climb a mountain and defeat some giants to get back but by that time it was too late and the party was over.

He didn't want to read the truth of what was in the letter. Probably some stupid message like: _Spell Mississippi right next time, Seaweed Brain._

Now it all felt so trivial. The dreads of a six year old buried under the harsh reality of life, death and everything in between.

Annabeth's lilting voice carried him back to earth. "I'm sorry for barging in on you like that," she was saying. "I just… didn't know who to go to and you're always there and you seem like a good listener…"

Never in all his years had he ever seen her so unconfident about something. It was eerie.

"I'll listen," was all he said by way of response.

oOoOoOo

"Mum? I'm home." Percy's voice echoed down the hallway from which a delicious aroma drifted from.

 _Mmm… cookies._

Percy dropped his paperwork unceremoniously on the hall table, dashing into the kitchen opposite.

He smiled, watching his mother pull out a tray of baked deliciousness, waiting until she had safely put the hot tray down before sneaking up behind her and pulling her small frame into his arms. He stood at least a head and a half taller than her, but he still thought she was a goddess amongst peasants.

"Percy!" she scolded, turning around and waving a spatula in his face. "Don't startle me like that."

Percy laughed, pulling the plastic weapon from her hands and placing it on the bench behind her.

"I gave you plenty of warning," he defended.

Sally just glared, shaking her head mock-condescendingly.

Percy smiled like the angel he so was not, twirling her gently. "Cookies?"

His mother breathed out a laugh, batting his hands away from the tray. "I swear to the gods, Percy, cookies will be the death of you."

"And what a beautiful death that will be," he declared, forcing chipper into his voice, a more sombre thought pushing the edges of his mind. _Unlike yours._ He chastised his mind, banishing its dark recesses from his family time.

Sally's smile shifted, picking up on her son's sudden drop in mood. "Percy," she whispered emphatically, bringing her hands up to straighten the tie that Percy had wrenched loose. She didn't finish the sentence. A family trait, it seemed.

"Hey, not now, mum." Percy pressed his lips briefly to her hair, stealing a scalding cookie and pushing himself up onto the bench. "So, how was your day?"

"Don't you have homework to be doing?" Sally placed her fists on her hips.

"It's the holidays," Percy wailed, pointedly ignoring the looming pile of papers on the hall table.

"You're the one that took the job," she reminded him.

He knew that. _Gods,_ he knew that. Because she needed him to, no matter what she tried to make him believe.

"You know me; I just wanted some extra cash."

Sally turned to face him, lips pushed to the side, not believing him for a second. Percy didn't dare tell his mother why he was really working. What the doctor had told him. His mother _hated_ help, and he couldn't risk not getting it for her.

"I do have some work to do," he relented slowly, avoiding the topic. "Bacchus is so out to get me."

Sally let out a snort, pushing him out of the kitchen, whilst placing three more cookies in his hand. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Percy grinned down at her before heading to the wide mountain of doom tottering on the table. He scooped it up precariously in his arms, juggling the cookies, and trudged up the narrow stairs to his bedroom. He kicked the door open and dumped it on his bed, glaring at it as though they could catch on fire.

 _This was going to be a long night._


	3. chapter two

**disclaimer: characters be not mine :)**

Percy was wrenched from sleep by an incessant ringing in his ear. He bolted upright, rubbing his hand across his face, probably spreading ink all over it if the smudged, crumpled papers he was drooling on were any indication. He hand slammed blindly around his desk, searching for the offending item. He squinted at the caller ID before giving up on his eyes and pressing the answer button.

"Percy Jackson," he mumbled, laying his head back down on the desk. His neck was cramping big time and he knew he would be suffering a major headache because of it in the morning.

"Percy?" a soft voice rang through the phone.

Percy shot bolt upright, banging his forehead against the bookshelves that lined the top of his desk. "Shiiiiivers… ouch. Sorry. Yes, yes that's me. Percy."

A laugh floated into his ear and he pressed the phone closer to his ear like an idiot in an effort to keep the sound there longer. With his other hand he gently massaged his forehead. That was going to bruise so badly in the morning.

"Good to know I have the right number, Seaweed Brain." Her voice was stronger, steadier than it had been that afternoon, and Percy was relieved to hear it.

"Think I'd lie to you, sweetheart?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." A silence stretched from her end. "Hey, um… about that- that offer…"

"Oh, don't worry about it if you don't want to or anything, I…it's all good, I just thought, you know- if you needed or anything-"

"I want to take you up on it."

"No, that's perfectly fine, thanks for letting me…" Percy paused, Annabeth's words registering as his mind flipped them over again. "Wait… what?"

"I want to take you up," Annabeth repeated like he was stupid, "on your offer."

"Oh…"

"Unless, you know, you don't _want_ to…?"

"No, no, no, no that's okay. Uhhh…" Percy rammed his fist against his head, trying to get a sentence out properly. Annabeth was right, he had kelp for brains. _Come on neurons, don't fail me now._ "I'll meet you there in an hour." He thought again. "Bring a towel."

Annabeth chuckled, "Sure thing. See you in an hour."

Percy hung up the phone as fast as he could, flinging it onto the bed like a hot potato. He took in a deep breath, steadying his head in his hands. Nymphs of the Styx, what had he gotten himself into?

Annabeth's little… _problem_ hadn't exactly been anything he'd thought it would be.

She'd needed swimming lessons.

Freaking _swimming lessons_.

Apparently she'd never learnt as a kid and no one had ever bothered to teach her and some kind of big day was coming up that involved swimming or something or other and Percy kind of lost the story about there because she had looked so distressed and insecure and terrified and… _swimming lessons_?

Seriously?

Something didn't quite add up, didn't quite sound right, but Percy wasn't going to push it. He, more than anyone, understood the need for secrecy, for withholding the whole story. Obviously Annabeth didn't just need swimming lessons. She could've gotten that from _anyone_. But he wasn't about to question it, either.

Casting his eyes over his desk, he stared in despair at the piles of paperwork still to go. He'd never get it done alone; _unless_ …

Biting the corner of his lip, he scooped up the remaining papers, shoving them into a backpack along with a towel. He grabbed his swimmers, slipping them on quickly and silently so as not to wake his mother in the next room.

He had thought to ask why Annabeth needed him to give her lessons in the middle of the night, but he had held his tongue. Who was he to judge? He had spent endless nights walking the suburban streets, staring at the stars and wondering why it was always the best people that got the worst luck. Every now and then he'd work a nightshift pulling crates of potatoes and bananas from trucks into awaiting stores, but once he'd hit eighteen, they couldn't afford to pay him proper wages and finding street work had gotten harder.

So Mr. Bacchus' it was. Especially with Percy's less than stellar record around town.

So what if he accidentally burnt the canteen down? It was an accident. He didn't know the toaster was plugged in when he tried to clean it. And how was he supposed to know that pouring water on an electrical fire would actually make it _worse?_

Okay, so he should've known that one. But everything else was just blind bad luck.

Blind bad luck that had gotten him expelled and had followed him around ever since.

The flooding of the gym… check.

The crash of the schools computer network… check.

Peanut butter clogging all the water fountains… okay, he still didn't know how that one even came about but… check.

His mother getting a call from the doctors…

He didn't know if it was fate or destiny, but whoever it was sure had a sick sense of humour.

He shut the thoughts down before they could take a darker turn, hauling his backpack onto his shoulder and slipping out the window onto the ivy that trailed up the side of the small house. He slid down the lattice as quietly as he could, the vines cutting into his palms like they always did, and landed in a heap on the ground. Front doors were definitely invented for a reason.

Shaking himself off, he darted around to the front yard where his bike lay against the shed wall. His mum had tried to buy him a car when he turned seventeen, but he had opted for a bike, saying that it kept him more fit anyway. No way was he going to tell her that he needed that extra money to pay for medicine. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the full cost from her… she was always sneaking around, poking her nose in the bills despite his assurance that he would deal with them and she didn't need to worry.

His mother was never good with numbers.

To be fair, neither was he, but… he could make do. He worked for an insurance company for crying out loud.

Plus, if it kept her from worrying, Percy would carry the world on his shoulders.

The icy air nipped at his cheeks as he silently sped down the deserted road, the odd yellow street light blinking ominously.

Percy felt his lungs expand as he breathed in deeply for the first time all day.

Nothing beat the rush of wind in his hair, the smooth glide of the bike, searching out the dulled stars on the horizon.

Nothing.

 _Except for mum's warm hugs. And maybe a certain blonde._

He felt a blush creep up his neck at the mere thought. Gods, he was an idiot. And a perve. Agree to give a girl swimming lessons at two in the morning? _What the Hades, Percy? That's so creepy._

He almost stopped the bike, his mind turning the inevitable outcome over and over in his head: arriving at the pool. Waiting at the pool. Waiting some more. Waiting until he realised that, _duh_ , he was stupid, and _duh_ , of course she wasn't coming, and then he would walk into Bacchus' tomorrow (even though he wasn't rostered on, the twerp) just to hand in half finished, half drooled on paperwork that would surely get him fired, so he couldn't pay the bills, so his mother would find out the debt, so that…

He skidded the bike to a stop, clenching his fists around the handlebars. _Stop it, Jackson. It'll be fine._

He became aware that his breathing was bordering hyperventilation and made an effort to calm it. In for five, hold for five, out for five. Repeat. _Repeat. Repeat. Repeat…_

He ripped his helmet from his head, threading his hands painfully into his hair at the feeling of his control spiralling away from him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't…

 _"Fuuuuuuudge."_ It was more a whine than a word, rasped out between his teeth.

He let the bike fall to the pavement, falling from its seat onto the ground, where he clutched his head between his knees, scrunching his eyes shut.

No. No, this hadn't happened for months. _Months._

 _Not now, not now._

He slammed a fist into the concrete, relishing in the short burst of pain that grounded his mind back to his body. The edges of his vision slowly lost the fuzzy edge to them, and his heart felt like a lumberjack hammering inside his chest just a little less than it had the second before.

He reluctantly raised his head from his knees, taking in his fallen bike, the blood on the side of his fist- accompanying the cuts he had acquired at the park the night before- and the dull throb of his brain behind his eyes.

 _Shit._

He hadn't had a panic attack in forever. He was so sure they were gone.

 _Dammit. At least it wasn't a bad one._

His fists curled of their own accord and he tilted his head back slightly, swallowing loudly. _Get up, Percy. Just get the hell up._

 _In a minute…_ he mentally held the finger up at himself, collapsing onto his back and hoping to all the gods that a car didn't decide that tonight was a good night to go for a late night drive down a backroad.

The stars were pretty, he noted absently; glowing, twinkling.

 _He could see the stars._

Always a good sign.

He twitched his pinkie finger, his arm, his big toe, turned his neck. Working, working, working, fine, fine, fine, _you're fine._ Mum in bed at home, _safe._ Annabeth, probably also at home in bed whilst he paraded the streets like a dork, _also safe_ (not that he cared, or anything) _._ Okay, okay, okay, _okay._

"Seaweed Brain? What are you doing on the ground?"

Percy bolted upright, squinting into the silhouette of Annabeth, cascaded in faded yellow light from a lamppost.

"Just… resting," he mumbled, coughing awkwardly, "obviously."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Do you have the keys?" she asked instead.

Percy nodded slowly before his brain caught up to him and forced him to his feet, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. "Uh, yeah… they're… they're…"

"Don't tell me you forgot them."

"Well, maybe a little… but- wait! No. Here. They're here." He held up the silver key with a grin, feeling altogether too proud of himself for not being a _complete_ loser.

 _Get a grip._

Annabeth nodded, her mouth set in a determined line. "Do I pay you now, or later?"

Ahhh, there was the kicker. Percy felt like a douche. An absolute douche. A douche sandwich that asked his friends (well, as close to _friends_ as he had) to pay him for swimming lessons that they should have gotten as kids.

 _But…_

"You can pay me after, it's all good." He needed that extra money.

"Okay," she nodded with a small, hesitant smile.

"Let's go," Percy tipped his head towards the end of the street, where the local pool was.

Annabeth's smile disappeared, replaced briefly by a raw look of trepidation and then cold, hard nothingness and determination. Annabeth- the master of keeping her heart _off_ her sleeve. One of the many reasons Percy always felt like an emotional moron next to her.

Scratch that. Percy always felt like an emotional moron, no matter the company.

He pulled his bike upright, attempting to appear as though he had lain it down in the middle of the road on _complete_ purpose and not because he was having a mild mental breakdown whilst driving (steering?) a vehicle. With wheels. _Gods, could he get fined for that?_

Knowing his luck, probably.

Annabeth glanced at him oddly before turning on her heel and leading the way towards the building, Percy stumbling awkwardly in her wake. When she reached the door, she spun expectantly, holding out her palm out flat.

Percy gave her a high five.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"The _key,_ Seaweed Brain."

 _Oh._

Percy dropped the keys into her palm, stepping back out of the doorway as she turned the lock. The screech of the doors echoed on into the empty space inside, making Annabeth cringe back a little.

"Don't worry," Percy tried to sound assured. "We're allowed to be here." _Sort of._

Percy's swim coach had given him the set of keys when he had gotten sick and tired of Percy staying late to practice extra hours and to teach the kids that came down for lessons after school. His five years on the swim team had served him well and the keys had been handed over almost without any hesitation.

Of course, Percy was not usually known for breaking into buildings with pretty girls, intent on giving them a _swimming lesson._ Known for many other things, such as burning down houses, sure. But not breaking and entering. _Though was it_ really _breaking and entering if you had the key?_

He kept his mouth shut, figuring that little detail may derail Annabeth's intentions.

He took the lead, weaving through the corridors of lockers and into the big expanse of the main pool. Percy closed his eyes, taking in the scent of chlorine. The only thing that could beat that smell was salt water.

 _And blue cookies._

"Alright, sweetheart. Let's get started." He attempted (and desperately hoped he succeeded) in sounding confident.

 _Come on, Jackson. This is your home turf._

Annabeth nodded, slipping off her shorts and hoodie to reveal a modest, obviously never been used one piece.

 _Thank the gods._ Percy thought he may have been in danger of spontaneously combusting if she had worn a bikini. And _that_ certainly couldn't be healthy.

She bounced a little on her toes, the nervous energy seemingly flying from her fingertips. She let out a deep breath. "So… do I… do I hop in, or…?"

"Uh, yeah," Percy conceded. "Let's start in the shallow end."

He pulled off his T-shirt, throwing it to the side, and dropped himself into the water. He immediately relaxed, the feeling of being immersed flowing through his blood and into his muscles. He looked up in time to see Annabeth not-so-gracefully plonk into the pool.

Percy bit his tongue to keep from chuckling. He had decided that it was ultimately best to keep his testicles and head firmly attached to the rest of his body.

"Cold," she gasped.

Percy glanced at her, forgetting that the water didn't have the same effect on everyone as it did him. He couldn't remember the last time the temperature of water had bothered him- but then again, he was probably too busy relishing in it and swimming to really take notice.

"You'll get used to it," he tried to grin reassuringly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

He waded over to her, making sure to keep a couple feet distance. Just because she had sought his help didn't mean that she was suddenly going to trust him completely and be okay with actually being close to him.

Percy didn't mind. After all, he had an aloof reputation to keep up. Being seen as too _soft_ could ruin his image.

He mentally scoffed. _What image? Being a moron?_

He shook himself free of his thoughts, turning his attention to the shivering blonde who, even in the shallow water, looked to be out of her depth.

"Have you ever tried swimming before?" he asked gently, trying not to activate her notorious attitude.

"Of course I've tried," she huffed, her eyes darkening in a glare.

 _Attempt failed._

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, cool. That's great, actually."

The glare didn't lessen.

"So we're just gonna duck down a little and keep our chins above the water, okay?" He wished he could dive straight under the clear water and swim to the other end of the pool away from her frosty eyes, but his resolve kept him there.

 _Don't be a wuss, Jackson. Man up._

Man up. Not really one of his fortes in life.

She did as he had asked; bending her knees slowly until only her chin was above the water.

"Now stand up," he instructed. He needed to show her that she was in control of her movements in the water; that she could still stand if she got anxious. There was nothing worse than trying to haul out a swimmer who thought they were _drowning_ in waist high water. Too much splashing and whacking to the face involved.

She stood, rolling her eyes like _the majesty_ that she was.

"Good," Percy nodded. "Again."

"Is this really necessary?" she bit out.

No, it absolutely was not. But it _was_ funny.

"Vital," he said with a straight face.

She huffed, but repeated the movement again. And one more time, you know, just for luck.

Percy clapped his hands, motioning her to the pool edge.

"Face the edge, hold onto it, and try kicking your legs out behind you."

She struggled to manoeuvre into position, making it look far more painful and awkward than it really was. _Sooo not a water baby._

"Like… like this." Percy stretched his body out, his fingertips gripping the edge of the pool whilst his legs kicked lethargically behind him, creating small ripples.

"You make it look so easy," she huffed.

"You make it look so hard," he retorted.

The glare returned.

Percy gulped, facing back towards the wall and waited for her to attempt to resume the exercise.

After much splashing and twisting, she was kicking out with uneven, erratic spasms next to Percy.

 _Progress._

"See? It's not so bad."

"Says you," she snarled. "You're not the one that got chlorine up your nose."

"Sorry, your _highness,_ but I thought a Wise Girl like you would know better than to _breath in the water._ "

Her icy glare gave the wall frostbite.

"Hey," he said in a slightly gentler voice, coaxing the frosty glare onto himself. "You're really not doing half bad. You wanna try letting…?"

"Full sentences, Seaweed Brain."

"The wall. Do you want to let go of the wall?"

"Absolutely not."

"Oh. Uh, ok. Sure. We can just… stay here then."

"You bet your foot we are." Her knuckles tightened on the pool's edge.

 _Well… progress is progress._

Xxx

An hour later and Annabeth's knuckles still had the pool's edge in a death grip.

Percy sighed, having given up kicking alongside her forty minutes ago.

"Do you think you're getting the hang of it yet?" he asked.

"Not yet."

Percy rolled his eyes. Only _Miss Annabeth Chase_ could be perfection enough to need to perfect every skill before she even thought of moving on.

He should've thrown her in the deep end.

Edging closer, he came to where her fingers were gripped against the side. He gently placed one of his hands over hers, easing her grip away.

"What are you doing!?" she shrieked, legs flailing as she tried to stand back upright.

"Teaching you to swim," Percy mocked, gripping the hand in his own so she was forced to let go. "Other hand too, please," he requested.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Trust me."

He got daggers in response.

"Or _don't_ trust me, whatever," he relented, snatching her other hand from the wall as well.

Annabeth spluttered, her breathing speeding up as she desperately tried to keep her face above the water.

"Calm down, Wise Girl, you're okay."

"I'm drowning, you moron!"

Percy chuckled under his breath, kicking a knee out in front of him when she tried to stand on her feet. "Stay up. It's time to move from the wall."

Annabeth grumbled, but kept her hands in his and kicked, allowing Percy to drag her out further from the safety of the wall. "I hate you," she muttered.

"Noted," he smirked, pulling a little faster.

"Stop! Stop. That's enough."

Percy stopped where he was, his chin just above the water. "Stop kicking for a moment."

She did, her legs immediately sinking downwards.

"Try to float. Deep breaths." He took an exaggerated breath in example.

"Not helping." Her teeth were clenched so tightly that Percy thought she might break a tooth.

"You gotta relax, sweetheart. Feel the water underneath you."

She looked up at him hesitantly before taking in a large gulp of air, spreading her body out so she floated near the surface. Her hands held his for dear life.

Percy smiled. "That's it."

Gently, he dragged her through the water back to the edge. "Here you go. That's enough for tonight."

She released a pent up breath, pulling her hands away from Percy's and standing in the waist high water. She cleared her throat, avoiding his eye. "About time, Seaweed Brain."

Percy felt a smile tug at his lips and lifted himself out of the pool, sitting on the edge whilst Annabeth hauled herself out.

He looked up at her briefly, "Go dry up, I'm gonna do some laps."

She gave a small nod, turning on her heel and snatching her towel from the ground, and made her way to the changing rooms.

Percy sighed, waiting until she disappeared behind the wall to slip himself all the way in and under the water.

Bubbles floated around him up to the surface as he lazily pushed from the wall, dolphin kicking along the bottom of the pool. Everything within him slowed to match his steady heartbeat, the blood rushing through his ears the only constant noise. He had always found that he could hold his breath for obscene amounts of time, swimming along for at least a lap and a half of the fifty metre pool before his lungs ordered him back to the surface. He lifted his head up just enough to take a sip of air before diving back down.

Nothing could touch him here. Nothing could follow him down to the depths of the water. His mind stopped spinning for a few treasured moments 'til only his heart beat remained, echoing in the water. _Ba boom. Ba boom._

Finally, he could breathe.

 _Only as well as you can breathe water, you dimwit._

Percy figured that was beside the point.

Pulling away from his minds reverie, he kicked off the bottom of the pool and broke to the surface to find a very drenched Annabeth sitting directly in front of him.

"Six minutes, ten," she whispered. "How the Hades…?"

Percy just shrugged, pushing himself onto the ledge. "Practise."

"Teach me," she urged.

Percy looked at her, surprised. "What?"

"I hate being under the water, where I can't control anything; where I can't breathe. You can help me." She looked crazed, obsessed almost. And fearful.

He blinked. _Only if you stop refusing to let go of the wall._

"Next time, sweetheart." He left it at that, pushing to a standing position and striding towards where he had left his bag and shirt in a heap. He checked the clock on the wall. 3:45.

"We'd better get going," he mumbled, gesturing with his head for Annabeth to grab her stuff and follow him. She trailed behind him, watching as he flicked all the lights and double checked the doors.

"How much do I owe you?" she questioned.

Percy glanced at her, then down to his feet. _Gods,_ he was a douche. "Um, actually… you know what? First lesson free." He gave her a small grin.

"Don't be ridiculous." Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him. "I have to give you something. I woke you up at two in the morning for gods' sake."

Percy raised his hand to wave away the offer when he remembered the rather pressing task in his backpack he still had yet to do.

"Actually… there might be something," he started, scratching the back of his neck. "How much do you know about numbers?"


	4. chapter three

**disclaimer: none of the characters are mine... unfortunately haha**

 **enjoy, beautiful humans!**

 _ **...two weeks later...**_

"You, Percy Jackson, are an actual idiot."

Percy raised his head from his arms to see an exasperated Annabeth leaning against his desk.

First days back at school were the worst.

"What'd I do this time?" he mumbled sleepily.

"What didn't you do?" she rolled her eyes.

"Do you have coffee?" he changed the subject, smiling up at her innocently.

She reached behind her, pulling two coffees from her desk. "You're lucky I'm nice, Seaweed Brain."

Percy guffawed. _Sure you are._ But who was he to turn down perfectly good coffee? He grabbed the cup from Annabeth's hand, opening the top to blow some of the steam out. "You, Wise girl, are an actual godsend."

She huffed out a laugh, sitting in the desk in front of him and twisting around. Her eyes caught his, her storms turning a shade darker as her eyebrows furrowed. "When's the appointment?"

Percy sighed wearily, rubbing his hands over his face. "Tonight."

Annabeth's hand reached out to touch his elbow, giving him a small, sad smile. "I'm sure she'll be just fine."

Annabeth had become his rock and, dare he say it- best friend, over the last two weeks. And he never thought he'd live to see the day when he said that. Between their copious amounts of midnight swimming lessons ( _as Annabeth still refused to put her head under the water_ ) and random paperwork meetups ( _Bacchus was still a bastard_ ), she had slowly needled her way into his life and into his thoughts.

 _Not that she wasn't there already._

A couple days ago he had told her about his mum. He hadn't meant to, and he absolutely hadn't been going there, but…

Percy laid his head back on his arms. He felt like he was drowning; a new experience for him. He felt like no matter how much air he took in, he couldn't get enough for his heart to make the next beat. Walking home to his mother, growing thinner, weaker, every day had tipped the scales and had him constantly on edge. The pale, weary boy in the mirror was a stranger now. In a moment of weakness, after Annabeth had been wondering why he didn't just _quit his job if Bacchus was such a twat,_ he let out that he needed the money. For the medication. That he didn't have enough yet for the major surgery that they had wanted to undertake _months_ ago now and he could only pray to the gods above every day that he wasn't too late, that he would get the money in time. That the operation would still work. That the cancer hadn't progressed. That the most beautiful human on the planet wouldn't wither away and die from the inside out as the tumour slowly ate away at her brain.

No.

He didn't want to think about it.

 _And yet you do._

Percy slammed his head against the desk a few times before he felt the tell-tale tug of fingers in his hair, drawing his face back up to reality.

"Don't brain yourself, Perce. You need every brain cell you can get." Annabeth offered a lighter smile, attempting to bring his mood up a little. "Plus, your coffee's getting cold."

He mumbled a _thank you_ , bringing the cup to his lips and letting the slightly bitter liquid clear his mind of everything. A few moments of weightless bliss. That's all he asked for.

"Did you want me to come with you? I can bring the twins," Annabeth offered, trying to meet his lowered gaze.

Annabeth's little brothers, Bobby and Matthew, or _the twins_ as she dubbed them, were fireballs of energy that had taken an immense liking to Sally's blue cookies over the last week and a half. Percy had met them at first by accident when they had followed their big sister down the road to the pool and hid behind some bushes to play 'spy kids' or something along those lines. As soon as they had seen a strange boy walk to their sister, they had pounced.

Percy still had the bruises.

Chuckling slightly at the memory, he shot Annabeth a smile. "I reckon mum's starting to like them more than she likes me."

Annabeth grimaced a little. "Yeah, well… our mum's…" she trailed off, her eye's clouding over slightly.

She did that sometimes, Percy had noticed; zoned out when her family was brought up. He didn't push. Even when she looked close to having a panic attack at the edge of the pool; at the sight of the water. At the sensation of Sally's motherly hugs (Sally had no-nonsense _insisted_ that she meet the young lady that had Percy staring off into space like a puppy). Little things that set her off that made no sense to Percy. He couldn't figure her out, and she wasn't willing to give anything away.

But Percy didn't mind.

 _At least now you have someone to talk to._

Gods, he was a loner.

"I'd love it if you could come, sweetheart," he said softly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Great," she breathed. "I'll… I'll be there."

Something in Percy's chest tugged painfully at the reassuring smile she directed his way.

 _Ignore ignore ignore._

He didn't have time for… mushy feelings. They made him sick. And dizzy.

She turned back around to face the board as the teacher entered the room, already lecturing about _last term's_ and _studying hard for finals_ and _everything that Percy wished he didn't have to do._

He sighed, staring with dead eyes facing forward.

Xxx

Percy hated hospitals.

The smell of antiseptic seeped through his nose, joining the symphony of beeps and deep voices of _clears_ and bustling feet, squeaking sneakers and hushed whispers, sobbing cries, and pitiful whimpers.

 _Hate_ was too weak of a word.

He dragged his feet to the front desk, trailing behind his mother. She had donned a bright, colourful dress that morning, the only one she owned. Percy knew that she was trying to look healthier for his benefit. To stop his worrying. Needless to say, it hadn't worked.

Sally glanced over her shoulder at her son, and Percy immediately straightened his back and shot her a grin, covering his hollow insides. He would be strong for her. _He would be strong for her._

Stepping up behind her, he hugged her around the shoulders, listening as she rattled off her details to the nurse behind the desk. The nurse typed something into the computer before looking back up at them and directing them down the hall. Percy gave his mother a comforting squeeze before grabbing her hand and leading her gently to where the nurse had instructed.

Not that he needed instructions.

He had been here far too often for his liking.

 _Turn left up the dead white hall, make a right down another dead white hall, pass the yellow door and the blue window, take another right and…_

Percy stopped in front of the doctor's office. 15B, the door taunted him. He sighed, squeezing Sally's hand once more before raising his hand to knock.

The door swung open, revealing a short man in a doctor's coat, a stethoscope dangling from around his neck. He smiled warmly, ushering them in. Percy numbly sat in a leather vinyl chair next to his mother, eyes latching onto all the odd and useless details of the small space.

 _Painting by a three year old, elephant statue from Thailand, map of the human anatomy, random fake skeleton in the corner, soap dispenser, sink, paper towel, manuals, books, more books, computer, files…_

One of those files, he knew, belonged to his mother. A file relating all the way back to when he had first gotten that phone call that froze the blood in his veins.

 _I'm sorry, son,_ the doctor had informed. _But we've picked up some bad news in Sally Jackson's blood test… she'll need to come in for further testing…_

Percy pinched his arm, drawing in a deep breath to dispel the words floating through his head.

 _Brain tumour, not yet terminal…_

But how long can _not terminal_ last for with only the basic medication he could afford?

Percy made the conscious effort to swallow, his fingers digging into the vinyl. His knuckles were white.

"…just going to run some tests like normal," the doctor was speaking to Sally. "Make sure there haven't been any drastic changes."

Sally nodded her head, smiling in that gentle, easy way of hers that made Percy's heart shrivel up and die because he simply _could not live without it._ She gripped his hand as though reading his thoughts, placing a small kiss on his forehead, ruffling his messy hair.

"I'll be right back, okay?" she whispered. "Love you."

Percy nodded, smiling warmly at her to give her confidence. "I'll be waiting, mum," he assured. "Love you, too."

She got up and followed the doctor out to a sectioned off area, pulling the curtain across. Percy rose to his feet, pacing the room a few times before heading towards the door and leaning his weight against it to open it. He stepped into the hall, falling back against the wall opposite and sliding to the ground. His head was _pounding_ , his teeth gnawing into his bottom lip as he mentally tried to estimate just how much even this short doctor's visit would set him back financially.

 _Too much,_ was the inevitable answer.

Every extra dollar spent on check-ups was one less dollar going towards the ultimate goal: the operation to remove the tumour. But he would rather he went a week without food than missed one of her check-ups. The doctor's constant eye on her was the only thing keeping him sane and he knew he was dangling from a very taut thread.

He leant his head down on his raised knees, lacing his hands behind his head. He wished the world would just _slow down and stop_ for once. Wished he could stare at his mother's lively face forever. Wished he didn't have to see the pain in her brow when she was facing another migraine. Wished he could wrap her up and protect her from everything this world could throw at them because that's what she had always, _always_ done for him.

The light squeak of footsteps against the floor caught his attention, and he lifted his head enough to see a pair of green converse next to two smaller pairs of worn out running shoes. He felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Hey, Wise Girl," he whispered, looking up at her princess curls and storms that looked more like a mourning hurricane than a dangerous cyclone at the present moment.

"Percy!" a voice called just as a small body ploughed into his lap. Percy laughed, ruffling the sandy hair of Bobby.

"Hey, mate," he chuckled. "How's it going?"

"Annabeth's being mean," he pouted, crossing his arms adorably.

"Yes, she is a real meanie, isn't she?" Percy joked.

Bobby nodded his head in all seriousness. "She won't play Minecraft with me."

Percy raised a hand to his chest in mock horror. "How dare she?" He snuck a glance up at Annabeth, who was glaring fondly at her little brother.

"Oh, shut up, Bobby. It's not like I was making your _dinner_ or anything."

Percy laughed, resting his head on the wall behind him. _This kid…_ "Who's not being thankful?" Percy poked the little boys' stomach with every word, making him scream and wriggle mercilessly.

"Stop!" Bobby breathed, his shoulders bouncing up and down in suppressed giggles. "Stop! Okay, okay! I'm _sorry_ Anna. Thanks for making foooood." His last word was accentuated by a squeal as Percy jabbed him jokingly.

"You shoulda let him starve, Annie. And given me all the food," another voice piped up.

"Matthew!" Annabeth scolded, chuckling lightly.

Matthew shrugged his shoulders innocently. Definitely the more cunning of the two, Matthew stood glued to Annabeth's side, one hand locked in her arm. Percy shook his head, grinning. _Suck up._ Though he didn't blame the kid. If he knew she wouldn't deck him if tried, he would probably always stand that close to her, too.

"How's life, Matty, my man?" he asked, giving the kid a high five.

Matthew shrugged noncommittedly. "It's life, bro."

Percy nodded solemnly, trying to hold back the grin twisting his lips.

He had taken an instant liking to the kids over a week ago when they had tackled him to the ground with battle cries of _get off my sister, mister!_

Annabeth sat down in front of him, dislodging Matthew from her arm, who promptly dragged Bobby up and away from Percy before the two dashed down the hall in a flurry of shouts and flashes of blonde hair.

"Let's hope they don't harass _too_ many nurses," she sighed.

Percy smiled gently, looking over at her. "I'm sure they'd appreciate the entertainment."

Annabeth met his eyes, shifting one of her shoes so it touched his. Percy gulped, trying to contain the blush that threatened to blossom up his neck.

 _Stupid._

"Are we right for swimming tonight?" she asked quietly. "I want to try putting my head under."

Percy's eyes shot to her. Despite the weeks of nightly lessons, Annabeth had so far refused to even _bubble and breathe_ in the water.

"You think you're up to it?" he asked, making sure he wasn't pushing her too fast. It'd take an idiot not to realise that Annabeth's fear of the water went much deeper than just not knowing how to swim.

She nodded determinedly, "Yes. I think so." Her eyes were steel and hard, covering the anxiety that often swarmed in their depths. Percy knew it, could recognise it. After all, he saw it in the mirror every day.

"Okay, sweetheart," he gave her a boyish grin. "Let's do it."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Annabeth's eyes scanning the halls, making notes in that beautiful mind of hers that never slowed. Percy thought having a brain like that must have been exhausting, not to say maddening. He half wanted to shift a little closer to her; to smell her lemon scented shampoo (a fact he only knew from seeing it in her bag at the pool); wanted to slide up to her like any other goddamn eighteen year old boy would do when they saw a pretty girl.

But Annabeth wasn't just some _pretty girl_ , and he wasn't exactly an ordinary eighteen year old boy.

 _Gods,_ she would castrate him if she even knew half of what he was thinking most of the time. Poetry had never really been his thing, but with the way she had his mind whirling, he thought he could have written a whole damn book.

 _You're pathetic, Kelp Head._

No mushy feelings. There were more important things to deal with. He laid his head back against the wall, closing his eyes and waiting for the doctor to call him back in.

Xxx

"I'm sorry Percy, but she's gotten worse. We might be forced to operate."

Percy's ears rung like he was underwater.

 _No no no no no._

"I can't," he choked. "I can't afford it yet."

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up into warm brown eyes. "We'll help any way we can. The medication she's already on might just be enough to stop it spreading further, but… it might be best to start preparing for the worst."

Percy slapped the doctor's hand away. "I'll get the money," he seethed.

"Percy," the doctor sighed sadly. "It's a very delicate procedure. We can't wait much longer."

Percy felt like slamming his fist into every concrete wall that had ever existed. It wasn't enough. He didn't have enough. _He wasn't good enough._

"I'll think of something," he mumbled, shouldering past the doctor and out into the hall. He blinked back the stinging in his eyes, smiling weakly at his mother who was sitting in a chair, the twins on her lap.

"Aunt Sally, are you gonna make some more of those cookies?" Bobby was asking, his brown eyes gleaming mischievously.

Sally laughed, bopping him on the nose, "Only if you help, little mister."

Percy turned slightly away, swallowing hard. He had to tell her. He had to tell her the medication wasn't enough. That he had let her down. That he couldn't help her. That he had _tried._

He couldn't…

 _You have to tell her._

A small tug on his wrist pulled him from his head. Annabeth stood in front of him, an understanding smile curving her lips and crinkling her forehead. "It'll be okay," she whispered.

"I have to tell her," a tear slipped down his cheek and he angrily slashed it away, staring at his scuffed converse.

He didn't tell her.


	5. chapter four

**Hello beautiful humans!**

 **disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters :)**

 **oOoOoOo**

"Kick harder!" Percy's voice travelled through the empty pool from where he sat at the edge. "Come on, Annabeth. You're not going to get _anywhere_ at that pace."

Annabeth glared at him from where she swum in the middle of the pool with the help of a kick-board.

"The goal is not to win a race, Seaweed Brain," she snapped. "It's to _stay above the freaking water._ "

Percy grinned. She was so easy to tease.

"Well, snap snap about it then," he laughed.

"I hate you," she muttered.

"What was that?" Percy called, cupping his hand over his ear. "I didn't quite catch what you said about your super awesome swimming coach."

"Twat," she breathed.

Percy just chuckled, sliding into the pool with her. "You ready to go under?"

Annabeth stopped kicking for a moment, leaning against the board to keep afloat. "Umm…" her face had taken on a white tinge. "I mean… I _wanted_ to, but-"

"Nope, no buts," Percy interrupted. "You can do it, Wise Girl. I know you can."

"I'm not so sure," she looked down into the water, clutching the kick-board a little tighter.

Percy sighed. It physically hurt him to see her like this; so timid and petrified.

"I promise the water's not gonna hurt you," he said, swimming out to her.

She didn't look any more reassured.

"I promise _I'm_ not gonna hurt you," he whispered gently.

That seemed to catch her attention. She snapped her gaze to his, storms warring between hope and desperation. "I just- I don't know."

"Do you trust me?" he gave her a small smile.

She rolled her eyes, letting out a nervous laugh. "Not really," she admitted.

Percy brought a hand to his chest, mock aghast. "You wound me, Wise Girl."

She splashed him in response, smiling a little. "Idiot," she whispered.

He ducked his head slightly under the water, coming up a second later. "It's easy, see?" She eyed him suspiciously as he swam closer, as though he were a Great White just waiting to eat her for lunch.

"You're not going to duck me under, are you?" her laugh sounded forced, and Percy didn't miss her slight cringe away from him. His heart contracted in his chest.

"Would I do that to you, sweetheart?" he grinned goofily, hoping to pull her out of her mind, the tell-tale darkening of her eyes telling him she was withdrawing into her memories, it was a look he thought graced his own face more often than he would like to admit.

She scoffed. He smiled. _There's my girl._

"Here, I've got an idea." He swam back to the edge, grabbing another kick-board before drifting back to her. "Just copy what I do."

He put just his face under the water, holding the board ahead of him for balance and breathed out from his mouth, a small bout of bubbles spilling from his lips. He brought his face back up, grinning, "Bubble and breathe."

She looked at him, the small smile twisting her lips battling the trepidation on her face. She slowly, _very slowly_ lowered her face until just her lips touched the water. She breathed out. An array of bubbles burst from around her, and she lifted her head, laughing at the sensation. Her eyes shone, and she looked at the water in amazement _._

Percy knew he probably looked like an idiot with the smile that had consumed his face, but he couldn't help it. He let out a laugh, putting his lips to the water like Annabeth had and breathing out in an exaggerated fashion. The water bubbled and spattered around him, sounding like a constipated walrus. He looked up, his lips still in the water, to see Annabeth dissolving in giggles, holding her kick-board for dear life as her shoulders heaved, a grin spread across her face.

He lowered his head until only his eyes remained above the surface, bubbling the water around him with his eyebrows raised in invitation. He wiggled them a little to get her attention. Taking the hint, Annabeth put her chin, and then her mouth under the water, still breathing through her nose.

Percy surfaced just enough to say, "Bubble," before ducking down again.

A flurry of bubbles erupted around her face, and her eyes lit up in delight like a child.

 _How has she never done this before?_ He shook his head in wonder, watching as she came up for a gasp of air before putting her mouth and now nose under the water.

She came back up again, grinning like an idiot and laughing hysterically. "You look… so… _stupid._ "

Percy crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. "What? And you don't?"

She breathed out another chuckle, her lips tipping up at the edges fondly. "Course not. I'm much more refined," she joked.

Percy chortled, "Oh, I see how it is, _Lady_ Annabeth Chase _._ "

She snorted.

 _Very ladylike indeed._

"Well, _peasant Perseus,_ " she laughed, "at least I don't drool in my sleep."

Percy gasped, his features screwing up into a pout like a toddler. "I do not."

"You _so_ do, Seaweed Brain."

"Do not," he mumbled, trying to feel hurt- a near impossible feat when Annabeth was looking and laughing at him, _with him_ , in that stupid addictive way of hers. Percy felt his heartbeat pick up speed and placed a palm over his chest in an effort to calm it down. It refused to listen.

 _Traitor._ He scowled.

Annabeth kicked over to his side, her board bumping up against his own.

"Why the long face, baby Percy?" she said in exaggerated sympathy. "Did someone forget to wipe the drool off their face?"

Percy turned his head to face her, scrunching his eyebrows over his eyes. "I _do not_ drool." He gave her a little splash for good measure.

Annabeth let herself glide back, letting go of the board with one of her hands to aid her paddle. Percy couldn't help but shake his head in awe of her comfort in the water, feeling a ball of pride choke in his throat. That was his Annabeth; never stopping till she had nailed it. ( _Apart from going all the way underwater, of course_ ). His smile dipped a little as the thought flitted through his head.

 _Why was she so scared?_

He bit his lip, turning it over in his mind. He would understand that she wasn't comfortable being in an environment where she couldn't breathe for the first time. _Anyone_ would be. But this was different, he knew. Some form of deep-seated phobia that gnawed at her confidence, stripped away her defences. In a manner of weeks, Annabeth had needled her way through his walls, and then proceeded to completely bulldoze them down until he was laid bare and vulnerable before her. Percy had never felt more scared, yet more safe than he did in her presence. But she had given him next to no headway when it came to herself. He knew her brothers, knew she had a mother and a father- though she didn't talk about them much- and knew that she aspired to be the world's next greatest architect ( _something he was_ completely _certain that she would achieve_ ). Beyond that though… she was a bit of an enigma.

"I don't drool," he muttered again, absentmindedly.

"Oh _please,_ " Annabeth scoffed. "I saw you in history the other day. Didn't get much sleep?"

It was said in a light-hearted manner but Percy couldn't help but flinch. In fact, he _hadn't_ gotten much sleep that night. None, to be precise. He had gotten home from coaching Annabeth at around midnight to find his mother curled on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

 _It hurts,_ was all she had said before Percy scooped her up and tucked her into bed. He had stayed by her side the whole night, refusing to drop off in case she woke up again; in case she didn't wake up at all…

Annabeth's face dropped at his silence, always seeming to be able to read his mind. "Oh, Perce," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean… I-I wasn't thinking…"

"It's fine," he waved away her concern. "It was just a rough night. And I don't drool," he added, forcing a weak grin.

Annabeth visibly relaxed, catching his eyes with her storms and smiling gently. Slowly, her head ducked under the water until the surface had consumed her and rushed in over her head.

Percy's eyes widened, frantically ordering his arms and legs to move to her side, catching her by the shoulders and pulling her back up, something akin to panic fluttering in his chest. _Don't drown don't drown don't drown…_

Annabeth came up gasping and grinning like a maniac, clinging to his shoulders as she let out a scream of glee. "I did it. I did it. _I did it_!" her eyes were wide, her hands leaving his shoulders to push her wet hair from her face.

Percy felt like braining himself against the floor of the pool. She wasn't drowning. She was swimming.

Percy's mind blanked.

 _She was swimming._

Percy let out a loud _whoop_ , grabbing her by the waist and sloshing them around in circles. "You did it! _YOU DID IT_!"

He felt the chuckles rising uncontrollably in his chest as he pressed his goofy grin into her sopping hair. He breathed in deeply, trying to ignore how good it felt to be this close to her. "Knew you could," he murmured.

"Full sentences, Seaweed Brain," she reprimanded lightly, moving back out of his embrace so she could duck under the water and up again. And again. And again.

She laughed, swimming in a doggy paddle around him, diving under like a seal on their first day in the surf. Her eyes shone like stars and Percy thought, just for a second, that she was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

 _Shut up, Brain._

oOoOoOo

The school was going crazy.

 _Absolutely lost the plot._

Percy waded through the sea of navy blue uniforms, trying to get within reaching distance of his locker. The spring air had developed an unusual bite which had him wanting to get his books and get inside to a nice warm classroom as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the general population of his high school had other ideas.

 _Four weeks… four weeks to go._

The hushed whispers echoed around him, reminding him of his limited days within the school walls.

 _Four weeks._

Four weeks and his last exam would be done. Four weeks and his last swim meet would be finished. Four weeks and he would most likely never see these people again, no matter _how_ small the town was. Four weeks and he could work full time at Bacchus's. _Just four weeks…_

He finally muscled his way through a group of giggling year 11's and leaned against his locker, letting out a heavy sigh. How he wished he had some coffee right about now.

As if reading his mind, (Percy _swore_ she was telepathic), Annabeth bounded up to him in a ball full of energy, her white grin scrunching the light spattering of freckles across her nose.

"Good morning!" she said far, _far_ too chirpily for the current hour.

Percy groaned in response, gesturing vaguely with his hands until a warm Styrofoam cup was placed in them. He took a long, grateful gulp before smiling at her and taking her books from her arms.

"What's got you beaming so much?" he questioned, yawning and shifting her books to his hip so he could twirl his combination into his lock.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." She feigned aloofness, biting her lip with her hands clasped behind her back as she rocked slightly on her heels.

Percy looked over at her, raising his eyebrow.

Annabeth cracked, a grin seeping through as she nearly jumped up and down like a jumping jack. "I got in!" she whisper-shouted.

Percy nearly spit out the mouthful of coffee he had just taken.

 _She'd gotten in?_

"Already?" he asked, eyes wide as a smile overtook him, her excitement making his blood fizzle in his veins. _That could not be healthy._

Her head bobbed up and down in a frantic nod as she near squealed with joy. "A letter came this morning," he voice was breathless, disbelieving. "Early round acceptance. They liked my portfolio."

"Oh my gods, _oh my gods!_ " Percy knew, _knew_ how much Annabeth had dreamed of getting into that university. She had applied for scholarship after scholarship, entering her very best work in a flawless ( _in Percy's opinion_ ) portfolio for special consideration. He flung open his locker, dumping his coffee and her books into the small cavity before catching her around the shoulders in the world's biggest bear hug. "So proud of you," he squeezed her tight when her arms came around his middle, her hands gripping his jumper.

She mumbled something that Percy didn't catch against his chest, eyebrows pulling down over her grey orbs.

"What was that?" he asked, letting her go so she could breathe.

"I said, I still have to get an over 87 Entry score on my exams." Her eyes flitted around nervously. "I don't know if I can get that," she whispered under her breath. "That's nearly the top ten percent of the whole freaking state. That's…" she trailed off, her expression darkening.

"That's completely going to happen," Percy finished her sentence for her, earning him a grateful curve of her lips.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain," she muttered, slogging him in the arm.

"Pleasure, sweetheart," he whispered too low for her to hear as he turned back to his locker, pulling both their books out and balancing his coffee on top. "After you, _Highness,_ " he grinned, bowing as low as he could without sending his leaning tower of books and coffee toppling to the dusty ground.

She laughed, looping her arm through his and dragging them through the swarm of students to their impending doom.

History.

 _Thank gods he only had four more weeks of this._

Xxx

A scrunched up piece of paper knocked Percy in the side of the head and he turned around, scowling before he realised who threw it. Annabeth sat two desks behind him, eyes wondering the room innocently, a small, smug smirk tugging at her lips.

Percy rolled his eyes, reaching for the paper ball and smoothing it out on his desk.

 _Tell your mum to make extra cookies. The twins and I are coming over._

Percy shook his head, a small smile slipping onto his face. Most people would feel presumptuous inviting themselves over to other people's houses for food _. But not Annabeth._

He scribbled a quick reply before lobbing it over his head back towards her. He turned to see it hit her on the nose.

He smiled. _Direct hit._

Xxx

"There's too many cookies for even _you_ to finish here, Percy," his mother beamed up at him, placing another steaming tray on the bench next to where he was sitting.

Percy grinned around a bite in his apple, watching as she dusted off her front with her hands, smearing flower over her cheek as she swiped her hair back from her forehead.

"Impossible," he smirked, tossing the half eaten apple into the bin across the kitchen.

"Percy," his mother complained, glaring good-naturedly up at her son. "That was only half eaten."

Percy shrugged, a grin stretching his lips. "All the more room for cookies." He hopped off the bench, placing a kiss to her hair.

"I wish you'd told me sooner that Annabeth and the boys were coming for tea."

" _I_ didn't even know until the end of the day," he said, holding his hands up in surrender, a grin adorning his face. "Besides," he chuckled. "You know they love anything you make. Don't worry."

Sally's lips pursed. "I suppose so. The way they eat, it makes me wonder if they've had a cooked meal in their life." She smiled over at him, raising her hand to wipe it against his cheek. "I'm glad you found her," she said gently. He heard the hidden undertone laced through her words. _I'm glad you found something other than me to care about._

Percy blushed, stepping in to hug her so she couldn't see his face. "Don't be ridiculous. She found me," he laughed slightly, smoothing bits of flour from her greying hair. "And no one could be more important to me than you."

Percy felt his mother sigh against him, but she made no comment, most likely because she knew of her son's stubborn nature.

"You know," she started softly. "Seasons change, Percy. And sometimes it rains."

Percy pulled back from her, not liking the direction this conversation was going. "Can we not talk about this right now?" he asked quietly.

Sally caught his face in her hands, lowering his gaze to hers. "We _have_ to talk, Percy. You can't keep me safe forever. And I can't ask you too, either."

Percy shut his eyes, breathing in his mother's warm scent. "I just don't wanna lose you," he whispered, his voice catching slightly.

Sally was silent, threading her fingers through his midnight hair. "The world is always changing, sweetheart. And when it does, you just have to kick off running."

"I _hate_ running, ma," he sniffed around a half-hearted chuckle, wiping his hand across his eyes.

"Then _swim_."

Xxx

Sally, of course, astounded everyone with her homemade lasagne.

Percy scooped another forkful in his mouth, nearly sighing at the comforting taste of the pasta.

"This is really good, Mrs Jackson," Annabeth said, taking a sip of water. The boys all nodded eagerly in agreement.

A light blush danced across his mother's cheeks. "Oh, call me Sally, sweetie. Mrs Jackson was my mother in law."

Annabeth smiled, letting out a small _okay_ before returning with vigour to her meal. Percy couldn't help but notice her perfect posture, the way she cut each bite up into tiny pieces before placing it delicately in her mouth. She only took small sips of water, her elbows always folded neatly at her sides.

 _Was she raised by royals…?_

Annabeth caught his eye, blushing slightly as his blatant staring. Percy coughed, tearing his gaze away. He could question her impeccable and _completely out of character_ manners another time.

"So, mum," he started, smiling slightly, stupidly proud. "Annabeth got an early acceptance letter."

He got a sharp kick in the shins for his trouble, but only grunted slightly, the grin still plastered onto his face.

Annabeth glared bloody murder at him, but turned with a sweet smile to Sally when she exclaimed, "Oh! That's wonderful! Which course did you get accepted into?"

"Architecture," she smiled. "I've wanted it since… well, since forever, really. My mother's an architect."

Sally's eyebrows rose, "Your mother?"

Annabeth nodded, a determined gleam entering her eyes. "Yes, Athena Chase. Best architect on the peninsula."

Percy's eyebrows rose to his hairline, but he stayed quiet. In terms of the parental members of the Chase family, Annabeth had revealed to him next to nothing.

"Mother expects me to…" she trailed off, shaking her head a little. "Anyway, I'm just super excited I got in." Her smile looked forced.

Percy glanced over at her brothers, who had become noticeably quiet. Bobby was looking down at his dinner, his small hand gripping Annabeth's on the table top. Matthew was staring into space, a small crease between his brows.

"She's going to be amazing," Percy piped up, sensing the unease in the room. _Okay, note to self; do not bring up the parentals._

Annabeth smiled over at him gratefully before tactfully switching topics to Sally's rose garden out the front.

His mother's eyes lit up as she relayed each flower individually, telling of the one she had stumbled across in the park, the one her hairdresser had bought her when she realised she loved the colour blue, the ones that Percy planted with her every year, the first one she got…

 _The one dad gave her._

Percy had never met his father. His mother said he had died at sea, in some kind of boating accident. She always said it with her eyes filming over, unshed tears catching the light. _He loved the sea with everything he had,_ she would say. _And I loved him for it._

Percy had always thought that he would've served better if he had stayed at home to take care of his pregnant wife rather than carting off on a random boat trip, but he could never stay bitter at the man when he saw the love flashing on his mother's face. She missed him every day, he knew. He couldn't even begin to imagine what losing him must've felt like for her. He glanced over at his mother, at her hollowing cheeks, her frail shoulders. Actually… _he could._ And he couldn't bear to… _to lose her the same way._

Percy pinched his leg, drawing his thoughts back to the table, even as he felt his breathing increase slightly. Annabeth was laughing over something Sally had said, hanging on her every word. The twins were flicking pieces of cheese across at each other, using their forks as catapults. The world was spinning around him slowly, making him dizzy. He stared down at his plate, willing the swaying to stop. Stop. _Stop. Not now. Please._

 _She's fine she's fine she's fine she's…_

He glanced across the table, his mother blurring in his vision. So alive. _So alive._

 _For how long how long how long how long_

 _Four weeks. Hold on four weeks. Four weeks four weeks four…_

He dimly heard his fork clatter onto the table top and he gripped the edges of his seat to keep from toppling out of his chair.

 _Not enough time. Not enough time. He had to tell her had to tell her had to tell her tell her tell her..._

He scrunched his eyes shut, banging his fist against his forehead. "Need- n-need. B-Bathroom," he stuttered, rising slowly from his chair and stumbling towards the kitchen doorway, his palms smacking against the walls. The room zoomed in and out of focus as he slid through, collapsing against the cool plaster. His lungs felt tight, like a coil of wire was squeezing his insides, biting into his heart every time he took a shallow breath.

 _Not good enough, not good enough good enough good enough sorry sorry sorry sorry…_

A face loomed in front of his, blonde curls filling his vision. He distantly heard voices yelling, cutlery clattering, and his mother rushing to where he sat slumped. Hands were on his face, forcing his gaze to bright blue eyes. _Beautiful alive blue eyes._ His mother's scent washed over him in waves, calming down his thundering heart slightly. He fell into her embrace, biting his lip hard to keep from sobbing into her shoulder.

 _Shit._

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, _sorry,_ " he mumbled deliriously, clinging to her thin frame like a child. He was shaking, his teeth chattering, and his head was spinning like a leaf falling dead from a tree. His control was slipping, _slipping._

 _I can't do this. I can't..._

He wanted the rain to hold off. Forever.

Xxx

Light danced behind Percy's eyelids, showering him in golden twirls and spins. His head pounded.

 _Ow…ouch._

He groaned aloud, turning his stiff neck. _Gods,_ he was sore. What had he done this time? He didn't want to think about it, wishing to slip back into the blissful state between dreams for as long as possible. He could almost _feel_ fingers combing through his hair, a hand gripped tightly in his own.

Gods, he must've been even more far gone than he thought if he was _freaking hallucinating_ Annabeth Chase's all of a sudden. He could even hear the muttered _Seaweed Brain_ 's spilling from her lips.

No… he _could_ hear that.

He jolted upright, his head coming into contact with something solid.

"For crying out loud, Percy! What's your head made of? _Concrete!?_ "

Percy grinned stupidly at the voice, turning his head to see Annabeth cradling her forehead, her cloudy eyes shooting him daggers. He felt like maybe he should apologise, or at least cradle his own head which was smarting like nobody's business, but he was stuck on the fact that _Annabeth_ was in his house. In his room.

 _In his room._

Oh gods, he'd died, hadn't he?

 _Dammit._ Still _haven't gone to all those ice cream parlours._

Percy flopped back on his bed, staring at the cracked blue ceiling. "You'd think in heaven they'd at _least_ bother to fix all the chips," he observed, scrutinising the holey plasterboard above him.

"Gods, you're an idiot," he heard Annabeth ( _did that make her an angel?)_ mutter beside him. "A complete lunatic. _You're not dead._ "

Percy looked up at her, confused. "But you're in my room," he stated, as though it were the obvious conclusion.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, huffing out a string of insults that included a lot of big words that Percy didn't really care to understand. He became hyper aware that, yes indeed, this was _exactly_ how his room had always been, and therefore _no,_ he was not in heaven. Which meant…

His eyes darted down to where Annabeth's still gripped his own; seemingly unaware that she was doing so. He gulped.

"…And what the actual _hell_ , Percy? You can't just scare us all like that!" she finished her rant.

Percy looked to the left. To the right. Tried not to think about her warm hand encased in his own. "What happened… exactly?"

Annabeth looked at him like he might be daft. "Why don't you tell me, Seaweed Brain?"

He scrunched his eyebrows further. "Sweetheart, why are you in my room?"

Annabeth paused, looking over at him dubiously. "You- you don't remember?"

Percy thought, drawing up an image of tasty lasagne and a laughing Annabeth before his mind blanked. "Uh… no."

"Oh," she breathed, slowly extracting her hand from his own as though only just noticing it was there, and instead using it to push his hair back from his forehead. She hesitated, "Panic attack," she said in a gentle voice. "You had a panic attack, Percy."

Percy slammed his eyes shut, heaving a sigh. _Well, that explained the headache at least._ His second thought was, _again? Really?_

The last few years he had only had attacks few and far between. And he had always, _always_ been able to keep them from his mum.

 _His mum…_

"Does mum know?" he asked, eyes widening in horror.

"Of course she does. She's worried sick, you dimwit." She looked at him oddly, probably caught between wanting to punch him and being worried for him. "You haven't had one of these before, have you?"

Percy's stomach was churning. Now was so not the time to be discussing his inability to hold onto his sanity. There were much more important things going on.

 _His mother's life, for instance._

"It's nothing," he played off. "Just a small breach in mental stability."

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, leaning towards him with a furrow in her brow. "Having a panic attack doesn't make you crazy. Just tell me, what's going on with you?"

She looked so sincere, so concerned, that Percy almost caved. Almost said that he felt like he was drowning every time he walked in the door and saw his mother, the _best human on the planet,_ looking weary and tired and sick. Almost told her that he hadn't told his mother yet that she would be in the no-return stage soon without the operation. Almost told her that he didn't have enough, couldn't _be_ enough, to save her.

"I promise, it was nothing," he said instead, but one look in her eyes and he knew that she knew. That she understood.

 _Everything._

So he took her hand again, laying gingerly back on the pillows, listening to his mother tottering around the kitchen across the hall, entertaining the brothers with shouts of _blue cookies, anyone?_ He closed his eyes, squeezing Annabeth's hand weakly, letting her presence comfort him, remind him, that as long as he was alive, he could still _do something_.

And he wondered just when he had started letting himself lean on other people to help him get there.


	6. chapter five

**hello beautiful people! enjoy :)**

 **disclaimer: I do not own these characters**

xxx

Percy instantly knew something was wrong the moment Annabeth met his eyes.

Her storms were rimmed in red, her face so pale her freckles stood starkly against her cheeks. She had her arms wrapped around herself as though trying to keep herself from falling apart and Percy's heart _thumped_ and _hurt_ and _stopped._ Because this was something _way more major_ than just another homework assignment gone wrong.

He opened the door wider, pulling her into his house and into his arms, letting her bury her face in his shoulder.

"Annabeth?" he breathed. "What is it? What happened?" He pulled away, his eyes checking over her frame for any signs of physical pain before returning to her tear filmed eyes.

She just shook her head mutely, clinging to him.

And that scared Percy more than anything.

He gently started stepping backwards, taking her shuddering body with him until he could sit them against the wall. She fell into his lap, scrunching his shirt in her fist whilst she rocked her head back and forth noiselessly, as though plagued by some monologue of voices in her mind.

"Annabeth," he tried again. "Annabeth? Look at me." Percy's mind frantically rewound back through the day, searching for what could have set her off. But he was _sure_ that she had been fine, _happy_ even, during class this morning. Something in Percy's gut twinged painfully. He buried it.

She still hadn't responded, her eyes wide and vacant, breathing shallow. Giving up on the idea of shaking her out of her mind, he gathered her as close as he could, pressing his nose into her soft curls.

"Come back, sweetheart. It's okay, you're okay," he muttered over and over into her hair, rocking her like a child shaking from nightmares.

Seconds merged into moments merged into minutes merged into Percy didn't know _how_ long, but her breathing finally slowed, turning into slow puffs against his collarbone, and her body had stopped quivering like a falling leaf. He held her silently a few seconds longer, letting her collect herself quietly before asking softly, "Wanna talk about it?"

She looked up at him blankly, her hand still twisted tightly in his shirt, gripping him like an anchor. He tried not to think too hard about that.

"Not here." Her voice shattered Percy, a thin wire loose between two canyons, blown mercilessly in the wind.

"I know a place," he whispered, trying to smile reassuringly. "Follow… follow me."

Xxx

"I'm sorry for crying on you like that." Those were her first words. Followed by, "I always hated that shirt anyway."

"It was my favourite shirt," he joked weakly.

She turned to him from where she sat at the top of the slide, her legs dangling down it. "No, it wasn't, you dork. The Nemo one is."

Percy blushed. _How the Hades did she know that?_

"You wear it under everything," she continued idly.

Percy opened his mouth to retort that _that was so not true_ before snapping his mouth shut again because… well… because it kind of _was_. "Not _everything,_ " he mumbled, looking down at the splintering boards.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't wear it under your birthday suit." She smiled slightly, catching his eyes, and Percy had to smile back, relieved to see that she had settled down considerably since her… mild… breakdown… thing… that Percy _really_ wanted to know what was about but at the same time _didn't_ because if someone had hurt her then he wasn't sure that he could be held accountable for any actions he may or may not partake in.

 _Gods, he was so, so gone._

"Very funny, Wise Girl," he said rolling over a few times until his head was next to her lap. "Take the piss out of an Australian icon, why don't you. Those poor Aussies. What'd they ever do to you?"

"It was made in America, Percy. Disney Pixar."

"Whaaaa?" Percy's eyes widened, staring up at her from the ground. "All my dreams just shattered. Listen, you can hear them. Like tinkling glass…"

She slapped him lightly across the head, another smile tugging at her lips.

"I _do_ like the Great Barrier Reef, though," she relented.

Percy threw his hands to the air in exasperation, letting them fall heavily back to the boards beneath him. "Thank you!"

"You know it's endangered though, right?"

"What!?" Percy exclaimed, bolting upright with way more energy than he thought he had a moment ago. " _What!?"_

"You should become an ocean preservationist," she commented off-handedly.

Percy scoffed. "That's… Actually, that's not a bad idea." _Ocean preservationist…_ "Hey!" he remarked, spinning back towards her. "Stop trying to distract me. What is going on with you? No secrets allowed." He stared into her eyes fiercely, not backing down until she closed them reluctantly, letting out a weary sigh.

"It's nothing… just… well, not _nothing._ Just… a lot of things. Everything."

"I'm listening," he assured gently, leaning his back against the crumbling fort.

She looked at him hesitantly, as though deciding how much to tell him, before lowering her gaze back to the ground. "I got a phone call today," she whispered hesitantly. "My friend from years back, when I lived across the country, she…" she took a deep breath, angrily slashing away a tear that spilled over onto her cheek. "She's dead, Percy. Thalia's dead."

Percy froze. His heart ceased to beat, blood flowing through his veins like bricks. He felt like he was underwater, sound rushing through his ears. _Dead._ It was so… so _final._

" _Gods_ , Annabeth, I'm so sorry."

"I hadn't even seen her in years, you know?" she said shakily, her voice rising. "I was an awful friend, always… absorbed in my own world, my own problems. She loved life, you know? I mean, _love_ loved it. She'd wake up to the sunrise and trek through the woods and take photos of the wolves and laugh and glare and get happy and sad and angry and she just embraced _everything,_ you know…?" She took a deep breath, her head hanging as though it had become too heavy for her neck to hold. "She would always invite me. Everywhere," she let out a sad chuckle. "Anywhere. She would make me laugh and make me forget..." her curls bounced slightly as she shook her head as though trying to dispel haunting thoughts. "She said life was the best thing that ever happened to her. That I was a close second. And now…" she trailed off sadly, her voice lowering to an exhale. "Now, what's left?"

Percy didn't know the answer to that. Didn't know the answer to any of that. After all, he had spent the better part of the last three years struggling to keep someone he loved alive and breathing. For that to end so suddenly; for someone so close to them… Percy's heart stuttered. He couldn't even begin to imagine. He didn't want to.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, blinking back the stinging behind his eyes. "I'm sorry."

 _I'm so sorry, sweetheart._

She smiled at him bitterly through her tears. "She'd probably punch you if she heard you say that. It's not your fault."

Percy felt his face try to pull into a weak grin, but he was sure he miserably failed, unsure of how he was even supposed to respond. All he could feel was… numb. A deep, freezing numbness.

"I'm sure she loved you," he whispered.

Annabeth sniffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "She shouldn't have."

"Don't say that," Percy said, shaking his head. "She loved you and she loved life. Remember that. _Remember_ that."

Annabeth's eyes trailed to the distance, gazing sightlessly over the towers and swings in the park. "I loved her, too. So much." Her face crumpled into a sob, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her knees, trying piece herself back together. "I love her so much."

Percy slid over to her as gently as he could, coaxing her arms from her knees and pressing her hands into his own. "She loves you," he mumbled into her hair, smoothing his hand across her back in soothing circles. "She loves you."

She didn't fall into him, instead remaining stiff and silent, staring out to the dusty horizon, but Percy didn't mind, just continuing to murmur into her hair and rub her back softly. It wasn't fair of him to take from her when she was already so drained, so lost and fragile.

No, he would give back to her. For as long as it took to glue the pieces of his best friend back together with gold, and then some.

"You come here," he whispered. "When you need me, you come here, okay?" _I'll be there. I promise._

oOoOoOo

Annabeth left for the funeral two days later, leaving a gaping hole that Percy hadn't even realised was being filled by an Annabeth Chase shaped being.

He decided that he didn't much like the feeling.

Sighing, Percy ran his hands frustratingly through his hair, his fingertips snagging in knots and unruly curls. He really needed a haircut. He glanced at his mirror across the room, scrutinising the midnight locks that flew every direction from his head like a wild thing. Maybe he could cut it himself…

Oh, what the heck. He could shave it all off further into the summer if it really started to bug him. Cash to pay a hairdresser was not something he could spare. Maybe Annabeth could…

Percy plonked his head heavily down onto his desk, smashing his face against the computer's keyboard, igniting a _yt6gdhhf_ to erupt on his screen. He was never going to finish this if he couldn't even focus for _five freaking minutes._

He hadn't heard from Annabeth since she left the airport, promising to text when she'd landed.

She hadn't texted yet.

She took off over ten hours ago.

Percy knew it was stupid. _Completely stupid._ Obviously, she was hurting and not thinking straight and grieving her _best friend for gods sakes_ and he needed to give her some _bloody room_ to process and think but Percy couldn't help the tiny nagging in the corner of his mind that said something wasn't right. But then again, maybe he was biased. He hated planes.

 _Planes were straight from Hades._

And so maybe, _maybe,_ in a bid to stop himself from worrying over absolutely nothing, he had started up a Microsoft Word page on his dinosaur aged computer (he hadn't even known he _had_ Microsoft Word until today), and proceeded to write down a nice, comforting letter. To Annabeth. Because she was hurting. And _gods,_ apparently he was an utter doofus.

So far he had written:

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _yt6gdhhf_

 _Classy, Jackson. Real classy._

He had even considered changing the _dear_ to a _to_ or a _hey_ because how formal were these things supposed to be? And had he even won the right to call her _dear_? Wasn't that, like, reserved for loved ones or something? After debating fruitlessly with himself for about half an hour, he had settled on _dear_ and refused to let his mouse backspace it. What was done was done.

He'd deal with her funny, confused looks later.

Scrubbing his hands roughly over his face, he scrunched his eyes shut. He could faintly hear his mother snoring in the next room over and let out his self-proclaimed stupidity as a silent groan so as not to wake her. Gods knew she needed the rest. She hadn't been sleeping lately, and Percy was grateful for any couple of hours she could snag.

 _Okay, Kelp Head, you got this._

He warily put his hands back on the keys.

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _I know this past week has been the hardest week you've ever been through and that losing your best friend is like losing a limb no matter how long it's been since you've seen them because you haven't visited- not that you're a bad friend for not visiting! Like, at all. In fact, you're an awesome friend. The best. I mean… the only one I've ever had so maybe I'm just slightly biased and you're kinda intimidating so I try not to make you mad, but…_

That was it. He was doomed.

 _Think comforting, you idiot._

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _Your hair is nice._

Percy slammed his head against the desk. This was useless. He had never been very eloquent with words and this was seriously, _seriously_ pushing his limits. His English teacher would've been proud.

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _You make me proud every day._

Nope, way too personal.

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _I'm sorry Thalia is dead…_

Percy slammed his dinosaur laptop shut, standing with _less-than-graceful_ grace before stumbling face first into his bed, frustrated energy tingling through his fingertips as he growled out a muffled groan.

 _Damn it_.

oOoOoOo

 ** _14/11/2017, 11:47pm_**

 **Percy?**

 **Gods, I am so so sorry I forgot to text.**

 **My brain's just been all over the place, you know?**

 **Super sorry again. I know you worry about planes, but I'm alright! I promise! :)**

 _Annabeth? Gods no don't apologise!_

 _U ok?_

 **Oh. Hey there Perce. You weren't waiting up for me were you?**

 _who!? me? never pfft._

 _how u doin?_

 **I'm coping, I think. It was hard seeing everyone.** **Preparations for the funeral and all**

 _yeah. yeah I bet._

 **How are you doing?**

 _I have an Annabeth shaped hole and no swimming students._

 **Aw you poor baby**

 _tell me bout it_

 _hey, honestly though. how u holdin up?_

 **…**

 _Annabeth?_

oOoOoOo

 ** _15/11/2017, 6:02pm_**

 _Annabeth._

 _this is a code blue._

 _we got absolutely smashed with homework today._

 _HOOOOLLLPPP!_

 **You drama queen.**

 **You think one maths sheet is the end of the world.**

 _IT IIIISSSSSS!_

 **Alright, alright. Send a picture through.**

 **I will not help you cheat again though.**

 **This is the absolute last time.**

 **Full stop.**

 _aww come on. u know u love me_

 **Shut up Seaweed Brain.**

oOoOoOo

 ** _17/11/2017, 8:36pm_**

 **Hey Percy?**

 _yeah, sweetheart?_

 **Percy Jackson. Do not call me that.**

 _sorry wise girl. what's up?_

 **I… talked to Thalia's family today. At the funeral.**

 _yeah? how are they going?_

 **As to be expected. Her brother's a wreck. Like me, I suppose.**

 _i guess i would be too if i were him._

 _how are YOU going though?_

 **I'm not sure yet. I can't feel anything.**

 **I miss you.**

 _Miss you too, sweetheart_

oOoOoOo

 ** _18/11/2017, 2:13am_**

 **Percy?**

 **Do you think…?**

 **No, it's stupid. Don't worry.**

 _no, anna. it's physically impossible for you to be stupid. what do I think what?_

 **The way Thalia lived. The way she loved and took on everything and anything.**

 _What about it, sweetheart?_

 **I think I want to live like Thalia did.**

 _..._

 _ **18/11/2017, 3:15am**_

 _I think you already do_

oOoOoOo

Percy bounced up and down on his toes, stretching his neck to see over the wall of people hoarding the airport halls. Adorned with a giant, sloppily painted sign that said _Wise Girl_ and a goofy smile, he was more than ready to have his best friend back home.

He caught sight of blonde curls hauling a small suitcase off the baggage claim and made a beeline towards her, apologising as he tripped on people's luggage and ran over their kids.

"So sorry, miss!" he called back over his shoulder as he stumbled directly into the path of a hobbling old lady. She raised her walking stick at him menacingly, her lips pulled back in a toothless snarl. He turned to make a speedy getaway, catching the end of a lilting laugh that stopped him dead in his tracks.

 _Annabeth._

Sighing like the complete idiot he was, he spun to where she stood behind him, one hand on her luggage handle, and the other perched on her hip. Her head was tilted slightly, her curls in a messy bun and her teeth biting her lip softly as though to prevent a laugh from pouring through. "You into terrorizing old ladies now, are you?" Her tone was light and joking, but he didn't miss the slight catch in her voice, the paleness of her tired face.

 _So beautiful…_

Ignoring his irrelevant thoughts, he grinned and rushed over to her, folding her into a bear hug. He swung them gently from side to side, burying his face in her soft hair. "Missed you, crazy."

She sniffed slightly, her voice still raw and hoarse, most likely from nights spent crying. Something in Percy's chest twinged.

"Missed you more, Seaweed Brain." She clung to him closer and Percy was seriously considering making some kind of legal document that said he could give Annabeth bear hugs any time of day when she pulled gently back, wiping her red eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, laughing weakly. "I'm still a bit of a mess."

"Don't apologise, sweetheart."

He received the glare, but he liked to think that it wasn't quite as frosty as it usually was. She took his wrist in her hand, grabbing her luggage with the other and hauled him through the airport like she was on a mission.

"I need a nap," she proclaimed. "And a donut."

Percy grinned.

 _This was home._

 _xxx_


End file.
